California Fire Fighter Seeks Bone Marrow Donor for Son

December 5, 2006 – San Francisco, CA Local 798 fire fighter O.J. Leonardo needs to find a bone marrow match for his two-year-old son, Harrison, who is fighting a rare form of cancer – Acute Mylogenous Leukemia (AML).

“We’re calling on all fire fighters, their friends and family to help us find a match for Harrison,” says John Hanley, president of Local 798. “This is full court press. Doctors are not sure how long he will survive without a transplant.”

Medical experts say that finding compatible donors is a difficult process. The donor must have an identical Human Leukocyte Antigen type (HLA type) and be between the ages of 18 and 61. Since Harrison is of Filipino and Caucasian decent, a match will likely need to come from someone of similar ethnicity.

For more information, click here to visit to the Asian American Donor Program web site or call 1-800-59-DONOR. Click here to visit the Harrison’s web site or call the San Francisco Local 798 at (415) 621-7103.